Route control method and route control system

Abstract

A route control system includes a status measuring unit, a cost management unit, a route determining unit, and a route setting unit. The status measuring unit checks a status of each node included in a network. The status is a wake state or a sleep state. The cost management unit updates a link cost for a link connected to a node in the wake state to a value smaller than any link cost for a link connected to a node in the sleep state. The route determining unit determines an optimum route connecting a first terminal to a second terminal. A sum of the link costs for the optimum route is lowest among the link costs for other available routes connecting the first terminal to the second terminal. The route setting unit sets a requested data flow in the optimum route.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A route control system to determine a route for a data flow in a network including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links, each of the plurality of links connecting two nodes out of the plurality of nodes or connecting one of the plurality of nodes to one of a plurality of terminals, the route being a chain of links out of the plurality of links and connecting two terminals out of the plurality of terminals, the route control system comprising:
 a memory; and 
 a processor executing:
 storing, in the memory, a link cost for each link included in the network; 
 checking a status of a node included in the network, the status depending on whether a link is set to pass data through the node where the node is in a wake state when the link is set to pass data through the node and the node is in the sleep state when no link is set to pass data through the node, 
 updating a link cost for a link connected with a node in the wake state to a value smaller than any link cost for a link connected with a node in the sleep state, 
 accepting a flow request to set a data flow from a first terminal out of the plurality of terminals to a second terminal out of the plurality of terminals, 
 determining an optimum route having a sum of link costs that is lowest among link costs for other available routes connecting the first terminal to the second terminal, and 
 setting the data flow corresponding with the optimum route, 
 
 wherein the updating stores in the memory, as the link cost for the link connected with the node in the sleep state, an amount corresponding to power consumption of the node in the sleep state and the updating updates the link cost for the link connected with a retired node to an amount corresponding to a power consumption of a retired node when the checking has detected that an active node has been shifted to the retired node after all data flows passing through the active node have completed, and 
 wherein the active node is in the wake state, and the retired node is in the sleep state. 
 
     
     
       2. The route control system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the storing stores a route determination policy in the memory defining a constraint condition for a route, and 
 the determining determines the optimum route that meets the constraint condition. 
 
     
     
       3. A route control system to determine a route for a data flow in a network including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links, each of the plurality of links connecting two nodes out of the plurality of nodes or connecting one of the plurality of nodes to one of a plurality of terminals, the route being a chain of links out of the plurality of links and connecting two terminals out of the plurality of terminals, the route control system comprising:
 a memory; and 
 a processor executing:
 storing a link cost for each link included in the network, 
 checking a status of each link included in the network, the status being a wake state or a sleep state, where a link which is set to pass data through a node in any existing data flow is in the wake state and a link which is not set to pass data through a node in an existing data flow is in the sleep state, 
 updating a link cost for a link in the wake state to a value smaller than any link cost for a link in the sleep state, 
 accepting a flow request to set a data flow from a first terminal out of the plurality of terminals to a second terminal out of the plurality of terminals, 
 determining an optimum route having a sum of link costs that is lowest among link costs for other available routes connecting the first terminal to the second terminal, and 
 setting the data flow corresponding with the optimum route, 
 
 wherein the updating stores in the memory, as the link cost for the link in the sleep state, an amount larger than the link cost for the link in the wake state and the updating updates a link cost for a retired link to an amount larger than the link cost for the link in the wake state when the checking has detected that an active link has been shifted to the retired link after all data flows passing through the active link have completed, and 
 wherein the active link is in the wake state, and the retired link is in the sleep state. 
 
     
     
       4. The route control system according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the storing stores a route determination policy defining a constraint condition for route, and 
 the determining determines the optimum route that meets the constraint condition. 
 
     
     
       5. A route control method executed by a route control system to determine a route for a data flow in a network including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links, each of the plurality of links connecting two nodes out of the plurality of nodes or connecting one of the plurality of nodes to one of a plurality of terminals, the route being a chain of links out of the plurality of links and connecting two terminals out of the plurality of terminals, the route control method comprising:
 checking a status of a node included in the network, the status depending on whether a link is set to pass data through the node where the node is in a wake state when the link is set to pass data through the node and the node is in the sleep state when no link is set to pass data through the node; 
 updating a link cost for a link connected with a node in the wake state to a value smaller than any link cost for a link connected with a node in the sleep state, the link cost for each link included in the network being stored in a memory; 
 accepting a flow request to set a data flow from a first terminal out of the plurality of terminals to a second terminal out of the plurality of terminals; 
 determining, by the route control system, an optimum route having a sum of link costs that is lowest among the link costs for other available routes connecting the first terminal to the second terminal; and 
 setting the data flow corresponding with the optimum route, 
 wherein the route control system stores, as the link cost for the link connected with the node in the sleep state, an amount corresponding to power consumption of the node in the sleep state and updates the link cost for a link connected with a retired node to an amount corresponding to a power consumption of the retired node when the route control system has detected that an active node has been shifted to the retired node after all data flows passing through the active node have completed, and 
 wherein the active node is in the wake state, and the retired node is in the sleep state. 
 
     
     
       6. The route control method according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the route control system determines the optimum route that meets a constraint condition stored in the memory.